Problems of Harmony in the Development of Socio-economic Systems

A sustainable development (SD) concept formulated 30 years ago has been, and will be, one of the most topical issues in the development of mankind. The fundamental question of this phenomenon is the quantification of the condition. There is no unified approach yet, despite numerous studies of all kinds. All proposed methods assess not sustainable development but rather the development of its individual components (economic, social, environmental) or socioeconomic systems (SES).In order to achieve an adequate quantification of SES SD, two aspects of this process should be distinguished: quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative side is the order (dynamics) of the development of the socioeconomic system, which can be expressed in the degree and intensity of development. The qualitative side is the coherence of the development of SES as a complex system. Socioeconomic systems belong to large, complex systems with the structure as an essential characteristic, which is the basis for their stability. It is the harmony of development that reflects the coherence between structural changes in development and internal development processes. The complex quantification of SES in sustainable development integrates both sides of this process - quantitative and qualitative, i.e. sustainability and harmony.